Alumni Spotlight - Kyle ’11 and Stephanie (Frusher ’03) Tennant

Kyle ’11 and Stephanie (Frusher ’03) Tennant, being raised and educated in a conservative Evangelical environment shaped by reformed thinking, never imagined leaving that background to serve in ministry. However, now the Tennants are planting churches with the United Methodist Church, the very denomination founded by the great evangelist John Wesley, George Whitefield and Charles Wesley in 18th century. Kyle is currently the Connections Pastor at the First United Methodist Church in Warren, Ohio and is working on planting a new faith community for younger generations called {re}generation with four other Methodist congregations. Kyle and Stephanie felt the call of God to this ministry and made the hard choice of leaving what was familiar and comfortable in order to follow Jesus’ plan for them. Kyle has found aspects he enjoys about being a Methodist, like the global scale of the denomination, the social justice emphasis and the rich historical tradition! Kyle and Stephanie have greatly enjoyed the camaraderie they share with their colleagues centered around Christ and His mission. The Tennants have found great admiration for the Wesleyan tradition and greatly enjoy the rich theological conversations had among their team and the diversity among their ministry. In the words of Kyle, “We’re here because Jesus is here with us or else we wouldn't have gone!”

Another thing Kyle thought he would never do was write a book on the affects of social media, Unfriend Yourself. To learn more about Kyle and Stephanie’s journey, ministry and theological musings, check out their blog at www.kyletennant.com.

Please pray for the Tennants as they approach ordination and for God to greatly bless and use the United Methodist Church.